Norton Priory is an historic site in Norton, Runcorn, Cheshire, North West England, comprising the remains of an abbey complex dating from the 12th to 16th centuries, and an 18th-century country house. The remains are a scheduled ancient monument and have been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. They are considered to be the most important monastic remains in Cheshire. In 1966 the site was given in trust for the use of the general public. Excavation of the site began in 1971, and became the largest to be carried out by modern methods on any European monastic site. It revealed the foundations and lower parts of the walls of the monastery buildings and the abbey church. Important finds included: a Norman doorway; a finely carved arcade; a floor of mosaic tiles, the largest floor area of this type to be found in any modern excavation; the remains of the kiln where the tiles were fired; a bell pit used for casting the bell; and a large medieval statue of Saint Christopher. The site, including a museum, the excavated ruins, and the surrounding garden and woodland, was opened to the public in the 1970s. In 1984, a redesigned walled garden was also opened. Norton Priory is now a visitor attraction, and the museum trust organises a programme of events, exhibitions, educational courses, and outreach projects.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_Priory

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1485:

Lancastrian forces under Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, defeated Yorkist forces under Richard III of England at the Battle of Bosworth Field , decisively ending the Wars of the Roses. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bosworth_Field

1639:

The British East India Company bought a small strip of land on what is today Chennai, the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, from the King of the Vijayanagara Empire, Peda Venkata Raya. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennai

1791:

A slave rebellion erupted in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, starting the Haitian Revolution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Revolution

1864:

The Red Cross movement led by Henry Dunant officially began when twelve European nations signed the First Geneva Convention, establishing the International Committee of the Red Cross. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Dunant

1910:

Korea was annexed by Japan with the signing of the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty, beginning a period of Japanese rule of Korea that lasted until the end of World War II. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan%E2%80%93Korea_Annexation_Treaty

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

zoochory (n): (biology) The dispersal of seeds, spores, or fruit by animals http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/zoochory

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Works of art make rules but rules do not make works of art. --Claude Debussy http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Claude_Debussy